Michel de Nostredame remains the most famous prophet in history. He wrote hundreds of cryptic quatrains that still fascinate the world today. Furthermore, his life included much more than just crystal balls and doom. Consequently, his story features royal scandals, tasty recipes, and medical controversies. Explore these fascinating details about the man who saw tomorrow.
Nostradamus
The University of Montpellier expelled him for being a tradesman. Initially, the school accepted him as a student. However, they kicked him out when they discovered he previously worked as an apothecary.
He wrote a cookbook full of sweet recipes. Surprisingly, the seer published a book called a “Treatise on Cosmetics and Jam.” He included instructions for making cherry jam and a special “love jam” to spark romance.
He changed his name to sound more academic. Originally, people knew him as Michel de Nostredame. Eventually, he Latinized his surname to Nostradamus to make himself appear more distinguished.
The plague tragically killed his first wife and children. Although he treated plague victims across France, he could not save his own family. Therefore, he spent years traveling the countryside in grief before he remarried.
He created a “rose pill” to fight disease. Resourcefully, he mixed rose hips, sawdust, and cloves into a tablet. Because rose hips contain Vitamin C, these pills likely helped patients more than the standard bleeding techniques of the time.
Queen Catherine de Medici was his biggest fan. She read his almanacs and immediately summoned him to Paris. Subsequently, she asked him to draw horoscopes for her children and appointed him as a counselor.
He accurately predicted the death of King Henry II. He wrote about a “young lion” who would pierce an “old lion’s” eye in a golden cage. Later, a jousting accident killed the king exactly as the prophecy described.
His annual almanacs made him famous before his prophecies. Before he wrote his famous Centuries, he published yearly weather forecasts and farming tips. Commercially, these booklets became bestsellers that spread his name across Europe.
Nostradamus used a bowl of water to see the future. At night, he stared into a brass bowl filled with water and herbs. He claimed that this method allowed the divine spirit to speak through him.
He scrambled his writings to avoid the Inquisition. Cleverly, he mixed French, Greek, Latin, and Italian in his poems. He did this to confuse religious authorities who might accuse him of witchcraft.
He referred to the Danube River, not Hitler. Many people believe he predicted the rise of “Hister.” However, he actually used the Latin name for the Danube River, which merely sounds like the dictator’s name.
His predictions extend far into the future. Reassuringly, his writings cover events up to the year 3797. Thus, he did not believe the world would end in 2012 as many internet rumors claimed.
Nostradamus predicted the exact night of his own death. Reportedly, he told his secretary, “You will not find me alive at sunrise.” True to his word, they found him dead next to his bed the following morning.
Soldiers reportedly drank wine from his skull. A legend states that soldiers dug up his grave during the French Revolution. supposedly, they drank from his skull in hopes of gaining his psychic powers.
Finally, his family converted from Judaism to Catholicism. His grandfather changed the family religion to avoid persecution in France. Consequently, young Michel grew up with a unique mix of Jewish and Catholic traditions.
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